ON THE GALENICAL PROCESSES AND PREPARATIONS. 475 
extracts, or, more popularly, fluid extracts. These are a class of preparations 
which have come into extensive use of late years. We have seven of them 
in the British Pharmacopoeia, flve of which are new as Pharmacopoeia pro¬ 
cesses. The number of these might perhaps have been extended with advan¬ 
tage, as they are found to be very useful and convenient forms of prepara¬ 
tion for many medicines when administered in an aqueous rather than an 
alcoholic menstruum. While I admit their legitimate use, however, I do not 
approve of the use of these strong aqueous extractions, in which spirit is also 
present, for the extemporaneous preparation of infusions, when these are 
ordered in prescriptions. 
Infusa .—In addition to the remark just made, I have but little to say on 
the subject of infusions. The number has been rather increased. Pive old 
ones are omitted, nine new ones are introduced, one is transferred to liquid 
extracts, and most of the others are altered, to a greater or less extent. The 
most important alterations are in the cases of calumba and gentian, and in 
these I believe we are all agreed that the alterations are not for the better. 
Infusion of gentian has hitherto been with us one of the most popular of the 
class of preparations to which it belongs. Made according to the London 
Pharmacopoeia, it may be taken as the type of a good vegetable infusion, pos¬ 
sessing the pure bitter of the gentian, the aromatic and slightly astringent 
bitter of the orange-peel, and the agreeable flavour of the fresh lemon-peel. 
These all harmonize together, and form at once an elegant preparation, an 
agreeable bitter, and an efficient tonic. Water surely is the proper men¬ 
struum for vegetable infusions, especially of this class. If a stronger and 
more austere preparation was wanted, made with spirit as well as water, with 
double the quantity of gentian, and coriander in place of lemon-peel,—a sort 
of compromise between an infusion and a tincture,—why not have called it 
by some other name ? Mistura Gentiance Composita, for instance, would have 
done very well, only that that name was previously applied to another pre¬ 
paration. The substitution of this half spirituous, half aqueous mixture 
for our long and much approved infusion of gentian, is not surely one of the 
modern improvements in pharmacy. Then, infusion of calumba is now to 
be made with cold water instead of hot water, a change of very questionable 
propriety; for although by this means we avoid taking up the starch of the 
calumba-root, yet by the use of cold water - we take up albumen which hot 
water would render insoluble, and this albumen causes the infusion to become 
sour and mouldy much sooner than would be the case if the infusion were 
made with boiling water. But besides this, which may be considered a 
questionable defect in the new process, there is one respecting which there 
can be no question. The calumba is ordered “ in coarse powder,” and if used 
in that state it makes a complete mess of the infusion. Success in operations 
of this sort often depends upon very slight modifications in the mode of con¬ 
ducting them, and here there is a great difference between the results ob¬ 
tained in the one case with coarsely powdered calumba, and in the other with 
calumba bruised or sliced, but entirely free from any powder which makes 
the infusion thick and muddy. 
Linimenta .—We have several changes here. hTo oneVill regret'the ex¬ 
clusion of Linimentum ffEruginis, which, although so-called, contains no 
verdigris. In the place of this and another rejected liniment, we have several 
new, and some of them very efficient ones, including linimentum aconiti and 
linimentum belladonnse. Several of the old liniments are altered in composi¬ 
tion, and among the number is linimentum hyclrargyri, for the preparation 
of which the Dublin process has been substituted for the London. The ex¬ 
perience we have had in the keeping of these two liniments while in our collec¬ 
tion at the International Exhibition, is favourable to the London preparation. 
